Recognize Contact us

🍎 Autumn Recognition Campaign Ideas

September 7, 2025

Autumn ushers in cooler days, shifting routines, and a season packed with celebrations from Halloween and Thanksgiving to Navratri and Diwali. As priorities change and teams juggle new projects alongside holiday plans, it’s easy for recognition programs to lose momentum during these busy months.

But fall is actually a perfect opportunity to strengthen culture, spotlight accomplishments, and keep spirits high whether your team is carving pumpkins, preparing for year-end goals, or celebrating cultural traditions. With thoughtful campaigns and a touch of seasonal creativity, your recognition program can feel as vibrant as the autumn leaves.

Here are some practical, festive, and effective fall recognition campaign ideas to help you re-energize your workforce and keep appreciation flowing through September, October, and November.

🍂 October Weekly Contest Challenge

Keep the cooler months interesting with a weekly staff challenge! Encourage community and sharing through interactive team contests incentivized with badges and points! 

Week 1: Tailgate Team Spirit – Rally and bring out the team spirt in your employees! Give them something to cheer about this week and award a badge or points to the individual with that over-the-top team spirit! 

Week 2: Fall Photo Challenge – Create a task/goal in Recognize where employees can earn points for sharing fall photos (pumpkin patch, leaf peeping, pets in costumes, favorite Halloween snacks).

Week 3: Pumpkin Decorating Contest – Employees can decorate pumpkins (real or virtual/illustrated), share photos, and everyone votes through nominations!

Week 4: Best Dressed Award – Award points and badges to the most impressive costumes. Pet photos also count!

🪔 “Light Up the Workplace” – Diwali Recognition

Diwali, the Festival of Lights, symbolizes new beginnings, the triumph of light over darkness, and the power of community. Each nomination highlights how that person brightened someone’s day or contributed to team success.Run the program for 1–2 weeks leading up to Diwali & announce winners during the week of Diwali to align with the spirit of celebration.

🏈 Season Kick-Off

Encourage your team to preform at its best, and shine a light on those MVPs! Maybe you have an all-star employee who is always there to rally the team, or perhaps you have a new-hire you want to shine a light on! Below are a few football themed Awards to Cheer on you your team! 

🕷️ Halloween Recognition Bingo

Boost engagement and have some spooky fun by downloading our Halloween Bingo Badges & Halloween-themed Bingo game!

Bingo Card #1
Bingo Card #2

🦃 Fall-Themed Rewards

Refresh your rewards catalog with limited-time seasonal options that align with fall interests. Ideas include:

⭐ Customer Service Week (Oct 6–10, 2025)

Bingo Card #1
Bingo Card #2

✨ Keep Your Program Shining, Even When Daylight is Fading

By launching seasonal campaigns and keeping your program fresh, you’ll maintain momentum—and make sure employees feel valued whether they’re in the office, remote, or on a well-deserved vacation.

Need help launching your fall recognition campaign? Your Recognize Customer Success Manager is here to help you make it spook-tacular! 🕸️

Recognize Newsletter

Stay on-top of the latest in HR news, resources, tips, and technology. Receive Free Expert HR Tips & Special Offers.